best websites for emerald rings--help!

[monarch64]

Ok, after searching extensively through past posts about emeralds through the colored stones forum, I am still not able to find many recommendations of websites who have more than a small selection of loose emeralds or emerald rings to choose from. I am not looking for antique styles, i.e. Nelson Rarities; Cherry Picked doesn''t have a huge selection (that haven''t already been sold), and sndgems doesn''t seem to be too great to deal with. (When I did a search for sndgems, two or three posts from pricescope came up, all dealing with bad experiences.) Short of doing a lot of legwork here in Chicagoland, does anyone know of any websites or jewelers who offer emeralds of good to fine quality? I am looking for a 1-1.5c emerald or square center stone either loose or set in white gold or platinum possibly with side diamonds. I know this topic has been posted before (last year), but I am just hoping someone out there has come across some new info. I love emeralds and have always wanted a gorgeous emerald ring...it''s my birthstone and I am also a Wizard of Oz fan (Emerald City baby!), as is my wonderful husband of two years. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[glitterata]

I would call Wink. He may not have them on his website, but he''s a great enthusiast for colored stones and I''m sure he''d know where to get them. Also, he''s a very nice guy.

 

[widget]

You might also check out www.twin-diamonds.com

They have a large inventory of emeralds, some Colombian but mostly Zambian...

They are located in Israel. I bought a stone from them many years ago and was quite pleased with it. I think their prices are quite fair...

widget

 

[monarch64]

Thanks Glitterata and Widget for your replies. I''m not very familiar with Wink, I will check out Who''s Who to see if I can find more info on him. I went to TwinDiamonds.com and it was very helpful. Widget, I really like your emerald ring, but I''m looking for something similar with smaller side diamonds. I tried one on in the diamond district of NYC this past weekend and it was (supposedly) $12,500. That''s way over my budget of $5k or less. Do you think Wink would even talk to me? Was I just looking at an overpriced ring? The center stone on it was a little over 2 carats, with .60 tw sides. I love the 2+ carat center, but I''m willing to go a little smaller. I guess my question is am I going to be able to find a very pretty stone within my budget, or are we talking I can only afford promo crap here and I should just wait 10 more years and spend more $?

 

[MINE!!]

I know very little about emerald, but I pulled a few sites you might want to check out. Yes, I also think you should talk to Wink and I am sure he would be happy to talk to you.

Here are 2 rings that I found on this website

Generousgems.com... these are all well beneath your price range

 

[MINE!!]

another look at the same ring

 

[MINE!!]

Another ring from them

 

[MINE!!]

And another.. they have more.. so check out their site

 

[MINE!!]

here are some loose ones from www.esmerald.com

 

[MINE!!]

They have about 15pages of loose emeralds... they are worth a look see

 

[MINE!!]

sample one from the site

 

[MINE!!]

from kashmirblue.com

They have some very nice ones here

 

[MINE!!]

another from this site

 

[MINE!!]

another

 

[MINE!!]

and another

 

[MINE!!]

this on is very pretty, but slightly above your budget.. but my theory is... you can always get the setting you want later.. but you will never see the same stone.

Good luck on your search!

 

[MINE!!]

OH OH OH!! ONe more.. this one is my favorite and it is under your budget... yumm yummmyummmmyyyyy!!!

 

[partgypsy]

I love emeralds and love internet shopping, so I feel your pain. I think it more difficult to buy an emerald ring (versus other kinds of jewelry) off the internet and be perfectly happy. For my replacement emerald ring for my lost engagement ring, probably went to 8 jewelers before I found something I liked. Admittedly I was on a small budget, but still, disappointing...
I purchased but returned a couple of loose emeralds from the internet. It is hard to capture what emeralds look like from a picture, and each vendor photographs their stones differently.
Personally if I was going to do what you are doing I would go to a reputable dealer near you and have them call in some stones of the specs you are looking for (size, shape, color, tone) for you to look at in person, and also so you know the details of any treatments done.
I can also vouch for Wink. Though I have never purchased an emerald from him, all the pieces I have purchased from him looked better in person than in the pics.

 

[valeria101]

Well, there's always the question of what you'd like... 12k could have been overpriced or quite a good find - I can't tell without knowing more. The price is not too high for a reasonably sized emerald ring.

Light color emeralds are cheap and the range of emerald prices HUGE. There's all sorts online - from a hundreds per carat to 10k or so for emeralds less than 3 cts. Pictures are not too helpful - unless you have a pretty good idea how they were taken and trust the seller. At least this is what I keep in mind for myself.

I would probably be looking for 1.5-2cts for 5k and count blessings for anything more and still lovely looking.

If you want a large ring, perhaps something like THIS would fit the bill and definitely look allot better than an emerald of comparable size for the money (~5k for 4 cts!).

There is no 5k emerald on the list at Gem Line for now, but if they have one near the quality of the one now listed... good for you! The shop has been mentioned around here - 'MJO' knows them if you would want to know more of the shop. I have heard of them from him too.

'Incredible natural emerald' - they call this one... wouldn't you agree ?

'Twin-Diamonds' has a brother on the net THIS - these shops share some of the inventory. Otherwise, I have no idea what relation there is. This shop tried to post here ages ago and was banned never to be seen again. This doesn't mean their emeralds are ugly though. The one below comes at a bit less than 5k:

One good thing about this website is the large and diverse list. The pictures are not all 300% consistent, but showing the 4 carat piece below like this, it starts making sense why it is less expensive than the one above. I couldn't find a better example online, so here goes:

This one is light colored... but have you seen any cut like this?

Anyway, no matter where you end up buying from it can't hurt to know what can be expected for the money. Even if pictures are not the perfect way to show gem color etc. they are usually meant to be as accurate as possible. Appraisals and return policies help with that online and off.

I very much enjoy to hear how your emerald hunt goes on!

 

[Libster]

Monarch!
I love EMERALDS too! I''ve never purchased any online so I''m not much help there. I did find mention of this website on here when I first joined, but not sure if anyone has any experience purchasing from them.
http://www.emeraldelegance.com/default.asp

I had a 3 stone emerald ring as my engagement ring for many years. The emerald is .60 and is flanked by emerald cut diamonds. Over the years we have made several trips to the caribbean, where I have purchased all my emeralds, and bought another emerald that matched the .60 perfectly in hopes of having a 3 stone ring made with a princess cut diamond, for our 15th anniversary. I was shocked when I saw my .60 emerald next to a 1ct princess and they were the same size. The jeweler mumbled something about gemstone weights differing from diamonds

. Needless to say I need a 1.5ct or larger stone for my dream ring. I did end up with a beautiful 3 stone diamond ring and one day will trade it for the dream center. For now my emeralds sit and wait for another big anniversary to roll around.

I''m excited for you and can''t wait to see what you end up with......please remember to share pics!!!

 

[MJO]

Hi Guys,

You should concider green beryl for an inexpensive ring. A few years ago I got a wonderful 4ct green emerald that is borderline. Some jewelers I showed it to called it an emerald but the emerald dealers I know called it a Green Beryl. The stone is very clean with no enhancement and was under $700 for the entire stone. Believe it or not this was the first stone I purchased and it was from a TV shopping channel.

I know Judi611 very well and saw a pair of 1.8ct emerald cut emeralds. I told her to send them to me to show a freind of mine who''s an emerald dealer. She listed them for $1,000/ct. I wanted to know if he could supply her with stones of that calibur for less so she could resell them. I showed them to him and said she wanted $1,800 for them. he said "I''ll take them". At that he thought they were $1,800/ct. This is a wholesaler. You can find buys out there even from stone sellers if they got them for the right price and want to just turn them around fast.

I can tell you the price of emeralds is based to color, size, enhancement type, amount of enhancement, crystal, cut and origin. So it is very difficult to compare them online and even in person. You must feel comfortable with the seller and if expensive (you decide what this perameter is) have a cert done on the stone. Another thing is the flaws in emeralds leaves it more prown to break at those stress points. Treatments like ExCel fill these voids and allows the stone to be steam cleaned or ultrasonicly cleaned.

Regards,
Maurice

 

[Richard M.]

Date: 11/10/2005 11:45:26 PM
Author: MJO
Treatments like ExCel fill these voids and allows the stone to be steam cleaned or ultrasonicly cleaned.
Maurice

LOL. That may be true but the day I put an emerald of any kind, treated or otherwise, under steam or in the ultrasonic is the day I eat a double fugu order from the local Japanese take-out joint. Both involve living a little too dangerously for me! I recommend cleaning emeralds, opals, pearls, etc. with an ionic process. It''s much safer.

 

[monarch64]

Wow, I didn''t expect so many responses! Thank you everyone, you are all so helpful. Mine--thanks for all those pictures, they''re awesome! I will definitely look into those sites. So after reading all your responses, I have determined that this is not a situation where I am just going to be able to find a quick fix. I know in my heart that I wouldn''t be satisfied with a less expensive stone, but that was a good idea. I told my husband last night I was willing to really research and find something I really, really, really would be happy with and that I would wait for my 30th birthday (I''ll be 29 this May). I believe I heard a small sign of relief come out of his mouth. That was quickly followed by the realization that I would just be looking for a more expensive ring (gasp!). LOL. I think this will work out well for me--it will give me a reason to look forward to turning 30! I will continue utilizing pricescope for resources, and rest assured i will keep you all posted throughout my quest!

Question: I thought emerald cuts were rectangular, but I have noticed that some vendors call what looks like a more square shape an emerald cut. Am I just misunderstanding them? Does it have to do with cutting it in a way that makes the most of the stone?

 

[MJO]

Hello Richard,

I would also recommend that they not be steamed or ultasonicly cleaned but I''ve seen it done . In reality I would hesitate steaming any stone but diamond since the colors could change on some. I would also worry about unseen stress flaws openning more in ultrasonic cleaning on everything but diamonds.

Regards.
Maurice

 

[MJO]

Hello Monarch,

Remember your old math classes? A square is a rectangle .

Regards,
Maurice

 

[Richard M.]

Date: 11/11/2005 10:41:57 AM
Author: monarch64
Question: I thought emerald cuts were rectangular, but I have noticed that some vendors call what looks like a more square shape an emerald cut. Am I just misunderstanding them? Does it have to do with cutting it in a way that makes the most of the stone?

In the gem trade they''re usually referred to as "square emerald cuts" but there''s no absolutely rigid definition as far as I know. Technically the Asscher diamond cut is a ''square emerald cut.''

The thing that usually defines an ''emerald cut'' is the use of long, parallel square or rectangular step facets. Emerald crystals, like other beryls, have a long, narrow aspect ratio. The most efficient use of this precious gem rough usually requires step cuts to conserve weight and that''s where the term originated. Sometimes squares are cut to avoid inclusions, or the rough is suited for that shape. The same type of cut is often used to fashion gems out of other long, narrow crystals like tourmaline, other beryls like aquamarine, morganite, yellow beryl, goshenite; topaz, quartz and others. They''re also called ''emerald cuts.''

Newer facet designs for these crystals with triangular "brilliant" facets like modified rectangular radiant cuts, sometimes called "scissors" cuts, and unique named cuts have been introduced in recent years. They''ve been given names by their designers (who can remember?) so no one really knows what they should be called generically. They''re also often confusingly called "emerald cuts" for lack of another term because they''s square or rectangular.

Basically it boils down to three essential types of cuts: stones with step cuts only; stones with triangular brilliant cuts only, like the pervasive ''round brilliant;'' and mixed cuts that may use step cuts on the bottom half of the stone (pavilion) and brilliant cuts on the top (crown) or vice-versa.

The "Bible" on gem cuts has yet to be written and innovations like the "concave" cut aren''t even considered here. Like what do you call an octagon-shaped or square stone with a concaved pavilion and step-cut crown? Beautiful, maybe?

 

[Richard M.]

Date: 11/11/2005 11:42:18 AM
Author: MJO
Hello Richard,
I would also recommend that they not be steamed or ultasonicly cleaned but I''ve seen it done . In reality I would hesitate steaming any stone but diamond since the colors could change on some. I would also worry about unseen stress flaws openning more in ultrasonic cleaning on everything but diamonds.

I used to have a nice little side business cutting replacement opals for a local shop that never learned steaming opal is a no-no. It isn''t the heat that breaks them; it''s the rate of expansion due to such rapid heating.

That said, steam or the ultrasonic won''t harm or change color on any but the most sensitive colored stones. What''s dicey is leaving anything but diamond in the setting while using the soldering torch for retipping, etc. It can even be a problem with diamonds these days given all the heat-sensitive ''fracture-filled'' diamonds being marketed. In my experience stress cracks are mainly a problem in certain tourmalines and they usually show up during or shortly after the cutting process. Mileage may vary on this.

 

[valeria101]

Not too practial... but you might like to take a look down here

 

[MJO]

Hello Richard,

I seen rubilite that have gone through a house fire that has not cracked but changed color to almost colorless so I was assuming the steam could also effect the color in some stones due to heat.

Regards,
Maurice

 

[monarch64]

Richard, thanks for your comments, they were very interesting. It makes complete sense that since the beryl or emerald crystal grows vertically that an emerald cut is usually the most flattering cut for the stone. I am definitely looking for a more rectangular shaped stone; I really don''t care for perfect squares. Maurice, I spent 4 years of high school math copying my homework from the girl in front of me...I am a total math idiot. But thanks for the reminder.
i tried to upload an attachment of a ring on Sparkle N Dazzle''s website. They probably have the prettiest examples I''ve seen of the style of ring I am looking for. I have no idea whether the stones are great or not by looking at the pictures or reading the information listed for them. If you guys can see the picture, what do you think? I haven''t read great things about them, but I''ve had trouble finding anything else that even comes close to how pretty their emerald rings are.